Who Won The Presidential Debate? 5 Key Moments From Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton

If you were looking for zingers, back-and-forths and head-shaking moments at the first presidential debate Monday night, your wish was granted. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton squared off in a blistering 90 minutes that covered Trump’s tax returns, Clinton’s emails, national security, race relations and more.

As the candidates tussled, NBC’s Lester Holt, the debate’s moderator, regularly butted in with “We have to move on” and “your time is up.” There were nearly 100 million viewers across the United States, and those viewers got their fill and then some from the two major party nominees vying for the world’s highest office.

If you didn’t get a chance to watch the full 90 minutes, here were Patch’s five key moments.

“Secretary Clinton? Is that OK?”

When Trump and Clinton walked out onto the stage to start the debate, they shook hands, smiled and were largely cordial.

That decorum went out the window quickly.

In an early exchange, Trump addressed her, saying, “Secretary Clinton? Is that OK? Good.”

The comment was immediately decried as sexist by many prominent women.

“Donald, I know you live in your own reality”

In the first heated moment of the debate, the pair were discussing NAFTA, the trade deal passed during President George H.W. Bush’s administration and signed by President Bill Clinton.

Trump said Clinton had not helped Americans during her years of public service — which includes, he says, support for NAFTA.

“You haven’t done it,” he said. “You haven’t done it.”

“Excuse me," Clinton replied. “Donald, I know you live in your own reality.”

An insight into Trump’s taxes?

As he has during the campaign season, Trump offered several conflicting reasons for why he hasn’t released his tax returns, something every other major party nominee has done for the last 40 years.

He said he won’t release them because he’s under audit — then said he would release them if Clinton released the emails on her private server that she deleted. (Clinton said they were personal in nature.)

One exchange, though, was telling.

Trump was riffing on how America was a “third-world” country because the money spent is “squandered.”

“Maybe that’s because you don’t pay any federal income tax,” Clinton said.

“And it would be squandered, too,” Trump replied.

Trump on the birther question

Trump again attempted to peddle the lie that it was the Clinton campaign — not Trump — who started and perpetuated the so-called “birther movement” challenging the legitimacy of Obama’s presidency.

Holt was pointed in his questioning but seemed to give Trump an out on the issue, asking, “What do you say to people of color in this country ... ”

Trump interrupted: “I say nothing.”

On the Iraq War

Holt largely stayed under the radar but challenged Trump on his support of the Iraq War.

Trump offered no evidence he wasn’t behind the invasion that destabilized the Middle East (and which Clinton supported as a U.S. senator). Instead, he went off on a long, spiraling answer that ended with: "I told Sean Hannity about my secret opposition to war."

When Clinton was afforded the mic after the long answer, she responded: “Whew.”

Who won Monday night’s debate?

A person’s opinion on who “won” the debate is likely to fall along party lines or personal feelings.

Trump didn’t hold back, unleashing the types of attacks that have defined his firebrand campaign so far. He frequently interrupted Clinton’s answers — “Wrong.” “Not true.” — and made sure he got his two cents in.

Clinton showed sharp policy knowledge and didn’t seem fazed by Trump’s attacks, largely sticking to the issues at hand.

Who did you think won the debate? Give us your take in the comments below. Need more evidence before you can decide? Here's a recap video to help remind you of the night's highlights.

— Marc Torrence contributing

Clinton, Trump images via Gage Skidmore, Flickr, used under Creative Commons; Lester Holt via YouTube